Mufti Mohammad Sayeed calls for de-escalation of LoC tensions

Srinagar: Condemning the killing of Indian soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC), former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Sunday called for immediate de-escalation of tensions on India- Pakistan border.

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Sayeed, the patron of the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) said, "The rising tensions along the LoC and some points on the international border with Pakistan have caused a deep worry in our state. From Kargil to Kathua, there have been incidents of serious nature threatening the decade-long ceasefire between the two countries which had rarely seen such a long thaw in their relations."

"The ceasefire had in the past survived even grave provocations like the Mumbai atrocities but it now seems to be falling apart under the impact of unfortunate killings and the attendant rhetoric unleashed by some hawkish elements," he added.

Sayeed also said there are reports of dislocation of civilian population from some forward areas especially in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu region after the recent tensions on the LoC.

"People along the LoC and the international border had heaved a sigh of relief ever since the historic Vajpayee initiative from Srinagar in 2003 of extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan," he recalled.

"The UPA, to its credit, followed up the initiative with very substantial measures that had for the first time a solid impact on the ground. Reopening of Muzaffarabad road was a landmark decision that broke frozen mindsets on the possibilities of cooperation along LoC and had started neutralizing the feeling of siege which has gripped the state after independence," Sayeed said.

Sayeed also said that it is sad that the BJP is leading the "rhetoric and jingoism".

"They are doing no service to the great legacy their own leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee has established," he said.